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Pakistan PM to attend Indian inauguration, a first

Munir Ahmed Associated Press

Updated:
05/24/2014 08:35:49 AM EDT

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FILE - In this April 30, 2014 file photo, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif waves as he arrives for a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street in London. A spokesman for India's next prime minister Narendra Modi says he plans to invite the leader of rival Pakistan to his inauguration along with other South Asian leaders. (AP Photo/Sang Tan, File)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's prime minister will attend the inauguration of India's Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi, a first for the nuclear-armed rivals, officials said Saturday.

Pakistan and India have a history of uneasy relations and they have fought three wars over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir since their independence from Britain in 1947. Saturday's decision by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could signal a further easing of tensions.

A Foreign Ministry statement said Sharif will travel to New Delhi to attend the ceremony Monday. On Tuesday, Sharif will meet with Modi, it said.

Sharif's special assistant on foreign affairs and Pakistan's foreign secretary also will accompany him, the statement said.

Sharif already congratulated Modi over his Bharatiya Janata Party's landslide victory in the elections that concluded last week. Sharif's office also confirmed the visit.

No foreign leaders were invited to outgoing Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's inaugurations in 2004 and 2009.

Relations between Pakistan and India froze after an attack on Mumbai in 2008 in which Pakistani terrorists killed 166 people. A mild thaw since has helped trade, though not much progress has been made in normalizing bilateral ties.

During the election campaign, Modi took a tough stance on Pakistan's role in sponsoring terror attacks in India. But since his victory, Modi has softened his stand somewhat. He has said that he would like to engage India's neighbors and have friendly relations with them.

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Indian leaders welcomed Sharif's decision to attend the inauguration.

"This is the beginning of a new relationship. It is good news," said Prakash Javadekar, spokesman of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.

The top elected official in Indian Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, also said he hoped the visit would mark a new start for the country's relations.

"It shows that he can prevail over forces inimical to good relations with India," Abdullah said.

Around 3,000 people — political leaders and BJP supporters from across India— are expected to attend the inauguration ceremony Monday.

Meanwhile Saturday, bomb attacks in Pakistan killed at least seven people. The deadliest attack happened when a roadside bomb exploded near the village of Shati in the Mohmand tribal region, killing six soldiers, the military said. In a statement, the military said "terrorists" planted the bomb, without elaborating.

In the capital, Islamabad, a bomb exploded in a supermarket parking lot at about 2 a.m. Saturday, killing a guard and wounding a passer-by, police officer Chaudhry Abid said. A second bomb exploded outside another market about 5 kilometers (3 miles) away, breaking windows but wounding no one, police officer Mohammad Shafqat said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombings, though authorities have blamed the Pakistani Taliban for similar attacks across the country. The attacks come days after Pakistani warplanes pounded militant hideouts in the North Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan, killing 60. The military said those killed were militants. Local residents said civilians also died.

Pakistan's government, led by Sharif, has been negotiating with the Taliban to end their violent insurgency, which has killed thousands.

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Associated Press writer Nirmala George in New Delhi contributed to this report.